JP2860333B2 - Piezo needle selection device for circular knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a piezoelectric needle selecting device for a circular knitting machine, and relates to a circular knitting machine such as a sock knitting machine and a pattern knitting circular knitting machine, wherein a knitting cylinder thereof is used. The present invention relates to a needle selecting device useful for a device that rotates in both forward and reverse directions.

[Prior Art] In a circular knitting machine, when knitting a knitted fabric, a needle selection jack having a bat protruded into a plurality of grooves (longitudinal grooves) on the outer circumference of a rotating knitting cylinder is brought into contact with the jack. The knitting needle is inserted so as to be able to move up and down, and the butt of the jack is selectively pressed (pressed) by a needle selection finger (needle selection lever) of the needle selection device, so-called knitting needle selection. There is a press type needle selection device (method).

That is, when the butt of the jack is pressed in the knitting cylinder direction by the needle selecting finger (hereinafter simply referred to as a finger) of the needle selecting device so that the butt of the jack comes into contact with the knitting cylinder, the butt of the jack is lifted at the lower portion of the cylinder. Therefore, the knitting needle contacting the upper part of the jack does not move upward, so that the knitting needle does not form a stitch, but on the other hand, does not press the bat. In some cases, the knitting needle that contacts the upper part of the jack is raised to perform knitting.

The operation of the needle selection device is performed by computer control,
The knitting is performed according to a knitting procedure stored in a storage device such as a pin drum, a tape, or a floppy disk, thereby enabling knitting of a knitted fabric having a desired pattern structure.

There is a demand for a circular knitting machine such as an electronic pattern unrolling sock knitting machine, which is required to have a high speed. Accordingly, the response of the needle selecting device also needs to be increased.

To increase the speed of the knitting machine without increasing the response speed, the number of needle selection levers may be increased. However, if the number is increased, the size of the needle selecting device becomes large, and a space problem for installing the needle selecting device occurs.

Various needle selectors using electromagnets have been conventionally proposed as the needle selector (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-93396).
In such an electromagnetic needle selection device, there is a limit in increasing the response speed, and power consumption is large.

The present inventors have heretofore proposed various types of piezoelectric needle selection devices that perform knitting needle selection using a piezoelectric element, instead of a knitting machine needle selection device using such an electromagnet. (JP-A-62-28451).

In this piezoelectric needle selection device, a piezoelectric element is attached to a support plate such as a metal plate, and a voltage (press) is applied to the piezoelectric element.
Is applied to bend the piezoelectric body composed of these piezoelectric elements and the support, so that the jack is selectively pushed.According to the needle selecting device using this piezoelectric element,
Since the piezoelectric element has a quick response speed, a high-cycle pulse can be applied. For example, if a pulse of 240 cycles is applied, the needle selecting operation can be performed at three times the speed of a conventional needle selecting device using an electromagnet (usually 80 cycles). This is for the knitting machine for knitting the same pattern knitting structure, which means that the number of the plate can be set to _^1/3. Also, in a needle selecting device having the same number of plates, knitting of a three-fold complicated pattern knitting structure, that is, the product of the number of needles and the number of revolutions of the knitting cylinder (in the case of a circular knitting machine) is 3
Pattern knitting can be performed for the double. In addition, since the needle selection device using the piezoelectric method is composed of a thin plate and a piezoelectric element, it is possible to reduce the required height per sheet and the lateral direction as compared with a conventional finger using an electromagnet. it can. Therefore, even when the same number of fingers are used, the size of the needle selecting device itself can be further reduced. Since the needle selection device is small in size and has a high response speed, it is conventionally difficult to arrange the needle selection device for pattern knitting due to the space on the mechanism, and to knit a machine for pantyhose. It is easy to provide a pattern knitting function using this needle selecting device.

Next, an example of a needle selection device (by a press method) based on a piezoelectric method, which has been proposed by the present inventors and which is the prior invention, will be described with reference to FIG. 11 (Japanese Patent Application No. 63-249967).
issue).

In the needle selecting device according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, a finger 4 is attached to a piezoelectric body 3 in which the entire piezoelectric element 2 is attached to a plate 1, and a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 2. A needle selecting device for a knitting machine, wherein the operation of the finger 4 selects a knitting needle of the knitting machine to enable knitting of a knitted fabric having a predetermined pattern structure. The rear end 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 is movably supported in the groove at the rear end support portion 5A of the piezoelectric body of the support 5 (or a housing), and the front end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 is The piezoelectric body 3 is arranged so as to be on a straight line, and the rear end 4A is connected to the finger fixing portion 5C of the support 5
The rear end 4A of the finger 4 supported on the
Movably connected to each other, and an intermediate position between the rear end portion 3A and the front end portion 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 is sandwiched by a rotating body 6 rotatably attached to a fulcrum portion 5B of the support 5 in the middle. As a preferred embodiment, as shown in the drawing, the rear end portion 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 is supported in a groove of the support 5 so as to be movable in the groove.
As shown in these figures, a spherical body is attached to the rear end 3A, and the spherical body 7 is fitted into the groove of the support 5.

The front end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 is connected to the rear end 4A of the finger 4.
In order to movably connect the rear end 4A, a spherical body similar to the spherical body 7 is attached to the front end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3, and the spherical body is inserted into the rear end 4A of the finger 4. Consisting of

According to the present invention, the following advantages can be obtained. (1) According to the present invention, the front end 3B and the rear end of the piezoelectric body 3
3A is movable so as to follow the bending movement of the piezoelectric body 3 so that the bending movement of the piezoelectric body 3 is not hindered. As for the position, the bending motion is not hindered by the rotation of the rotating body 6 and the piezoelectric body 3 is held at an intermediate position by the rotating body 6 so as to have a fulcrum on the way. A needle selecting device with a remarkably high needle selecting speed was obtained.

(2) Since the bending motion of the piezoelectric body 3 is not inhibited as described above, the service life of the piezoelectric body 3 can be extended.

(3) Further, according to the present invention, since the finger 4 is connected to the plate 1 of the piezoelectric body 3, the finger 4 is attached to the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 3 in comparison with the case where the end of the finger 4 is attached. As a result, the load of the finger 4 was not applied to the piezoelectric body 3, and from this point, the life of the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 3 could be extended.

(4) According to the present invention, since the rear end portion 4A of the finger 4 is fixed by the finger fixing portion 5C, the front end portion of the finger 4
It is possible to buffer that the impact when the 4B comes into contact with the bat is applied to the piezoelectric element 2.
The service life of the camera can be extended.

(5) According to the present invention, since the finger 4 is connected to the tip of the plate 1 of the piezoelectric body 3 so as to be on the same straight line as the piezoelectric body 3, the finger 4 is attached to the piezoelectric body 3 in a T-shape. As compared with the case where the needle selection is performed, the width in the horizontal direction is not taken, and the needle selecting device can be downsized. Further, since the fingers 4 are connected on the same straight line as described above, the size of the needle selecting device can be reduced in the vertical direction as compared with the conventional case where the fingers 4 are attached to the piezoelectric element 2 in two stages in parallel. Was completed.

(6) According to the present invention, even if the finger 4 is shortened as compared with the conventional art, the mass of the finger is reduced, and the speed is increased, the bouncing phenomenon does not occur at the time of contact with the bat, which is extremely excellent. It was evaluated as a needle selecting device.

(7) According to the present invention, since the torque of the finger 4 is increased, the applied voltage can be reduced, the needle selecting operation can be performed with a small applied voltage, and the power consumption efficiency is extremely high. .

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Under the above-mentioned technical background, the present invention relates to a piezoelectric needle selecting device having an excellent advantage as compared with a conventional electromagnetic needle selecting device, and has been described above. A piezoelectric type that is suitable for a circular knitting machine having a knitting cylinder that rotates in both forward and reverse directions while utilizing the advantages of the press-type piezoelectric needle selecting device according to the invention, which has numerous advantages, and that can achieve even higher speeds. It is intended to provide a needle selecting device.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, a piezoelectric element formed by attaching a piezoelectric element to a plate is brought into contact with a butt of a knitting needle of a circular knitting machine or a lower end of the knitting needle, thereby reversing the circular knitting machine. A finger for selectively pressing the pad of the needle selection jack arranged around the knitting cylinder rotating in both directions is attached, and by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body, the finger is selectively applied to the bat. A piezoelectric needle selecting device for selecting a knitting needle by pressing, wherein both a leading end and a trailing end of the piezoelectric body are movable, and are located at an intermediate position between the leading end and the trailing end. In a piezoelectric needle selecting device having a fulcrum, the pressing surface of the finger against the bat of the knitting needle or the needle selecting jack has two surfaces, and it is possible to cope with the knitting cylinder rotating in both forward and reverse directions of the circular knitting machine. When configured In addition, a through hole is formed in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body at the center of the plate of the piezoelectric body, and the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body is provided on both sides of the through hole. It is in the piezoelectric needle selection device for circular knitting machines.

[Operation] In the present invention, by taking the above-described means, the knitting cylinder is rotated not only in one direction but also in the forward and reverse directions while utilizing the excellent advantages of the above-described press-type piezoelectric needle selecting device according to the preceding invention. In this case, a piezoelectric needle selecting device which can be applied to a case and can be operated at a high speed can be obtained.

That is, in the present invention, the pressing surface of the finger against the bat can correspond to the knitting cylinder rotating in both the forward and reverse directions.For example, the tip of the finger has a chevron shape to have two pressing surfaces against the bat. The jack fitted to the knitting cylinder that rotates on one side in one direction can be selectively pushed, and the jack can be selectively pushed similarly when the knitting cylinder rotates on the other side in the opposite direction. Configured. Thereby, when the knitting cylinder rotates in both the forward and reverse directions, one needle selector can cope with the rotation in both the forward and reverse directions. The entire finger is shaped like an arrow, and the remaining portion other than the tip of the finger is made as narrow as possible to reduce the weight of the finger and speed up the operation of the finger.

Further, in the present invention, the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body is divided and disposed on both sides of the through-hole through the through-hole formed in the center of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction. As described above, even if the pressing surface of the finger against the bat is configured to be compatible with the knitting cylinder rotating in both the forward and reverse directions, it is necessary to use the piezoelectric device to support the knitting cylinder rotating not only in one direction but also in the opposite direction. The piezoelectric element of the body is required to have a correspondingly high speed.

The larger the area of the piezoelectric element, the faster the operation speed of the finger can be increased. However, in the needle selecting device as in the above-described prior invention, the piezoelectric body does not hinder its bending motion and can rotate at a fulcrum on the way, so that the area of the piezoelectric body can be changed in both the forward and reverse directions. When it is spread out in accordance with the knitting cylinder that rotates at a time, it may be greatly curved in the lateral direction.

Therefore, for example, a through hole is formed in the center of the piezoelectric body,
The piezoelectric body is divided and arranged on both sides of the through hole. As a result, a large bending in the lateral direction of the piezoelectric body is avoided, and the speed is increased because the piezoelectric bodies are arranged on both sides.

Further, the through-hole reduces the weight of the piezoelectric body, and the speed can be increased from this aspect.

Furthermore, by making the needle selection device of the present invention the same configuration as the prior invention, the above-mentioned advantages can be utilized.

That is, in the present invention, a spherical body is attached to the rear end of the piezoelectric body, and the spherical body is inserted into a groove of the support or the housing so that the spherical body can rotate in the groove, A rod having a slit is rotatably fitted into the groove, and a rear end of the piezoelectric body is fitted into the slit of the rod so that the rear end of the piezoelectric body is movable in the groove. The rear end of the piezoelectric body is supported by the groove so as to be possible.

On the other hand, a spherical body similar to the above is attached to the front end of the piezoelectric body, and the spherical body is inserted into the rear end of the needle selector lever whose rear end is supported by the support or the housing, for example. The front end of the piezoelectric body and the rear end of the needle selection lever are connected so that the front end of the body is movable at the rear end of the needle selection lever.

With this, when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body to cause the piezoelectric body to perform a bending motion, the front end and the rear end of the piezoelectric body face upward or downward. The spherical body is attached to the rear end and the spherical body rotates in the groove and the rear end of the needle selection lever, so that the front and rear ends of the piezoelectric body follow the bending motion of the piezoelectric body. And turn upward or downward. The same applies to the case where the rod having the slit is inserted into the groove so as to be rotatable.

Further, in the present invention, the intermediate position between the rear end portion and the front end portion of the piezoelectric body is held by a rotating body rotatably attached to a support or a housing.

Thus, a fulcrum can be provided on the way, and the piezoelectric body is sandwiched by the rotating body, so that the rotating body rotates according to the bending motion of the piezoelectric body.

As described above, the front end portion, the rear end portion, and the halfway position of the piezoelectric body do not hinder the bending motion of the piezoelectric body as much as possible, so that the life of the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body can be extended.

In addition, the piezoelectric body can freely perform a bending motion,
In addition, the provision of the intermediate fulcrum as described above makes it possible to significantly improve the needle selection speed.

Further, in the present invention, the finger is connected to the rear end of the piezoelectric body, and the rear end of the finger is fixed to and supported by the support or the housing.

Therefore, the impact when the tip of the finger comes into contact with the bat or the like is buffered by fixing the rear end of the finger to the support or the housing so that the impact is not transmitted to the piezoelectric element. Therefore, the life of the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body can be extended.

Example Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a needle selecting device showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view at the center of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pressing surface against the bat is provided on the tip 4B of the finger 4 so that one needle selecting device can cope with both forward and reverse rotation of the knitting cylinder when the knitting cylinder rotates in both forward and reverse directions. Have two 40,40 '.

That is, the entire distal end portion 4B of the finger 4 is formed in a mountain shape.

FIG. 3 shows a finger 4 and a piezoelectric body 3 to which the finger 4 is attached.
FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the remaining portion (rear end portion) of the finger 4 connected to the chevron-shaped portion.
4A is formed in a rectangular shape, and the width of the rear end portion 4A is made as narrow as possible. As a result, the weight of the finger 4 can be reduced and the speed can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 3, the entire outer periphery of the finger 4 has an arrow blade shape.

A through hole 30 having an appropriate width is formed in the center of the piezoelectric body 3 in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric body 3.

The piezoelectric elements 2, 2 'are disposed on both sides of the through hole 30, respectively.

The rear end 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 on which the spherical body 7 of the piezoelectric body 3 is mounted is inserted into the groove 50 of the rear end support portion 5A of the piezoelectric body of the support 5.

 FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the spherical body 7.

A groove is formed at the end of the spherical body 7, and one end of the piezoelectric body 3 is inserted into the groove and fixed.

Since the spherical portion of the spherical body 7 can rotate within the groove 50 of the support body 5, the rear end 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 can move upward or downward.

A spherical body 7 ′ similar to the above is attached to the tip 3 B of the piezoelectric body 3, and the spherical body 7 ′ is attached to the rear end of the finger 4.
It is pinched and connected by the open end of 4A. The spherical body 7 'can rotate inside the rear end 4A of the finger 4, and the front end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 can move upward or downward.

A hole is formed in the rear end 4A of the finger 4 in the width direction of the finger, and holes are formed in both right and left end walls of the finger fixing portion 5C of the support 5.

Pass the shaft 10 through the hole of the finger 4, insert both ends of the shaft into the holes on the left and right side walls, insert screws from both ends of the shaft 10, and attach the rear end 4A of the finger 4 to the finger fixing portion 5C. Support.

A longer shaft may be fixed to the rear end 4A of the finger 4 in the width direction thereof, and both ends of the shaft may be inserted into the holes in both side walls to be supported. In this case, screws are cut at both ends of the shaft, while screws are cut at the wall surfaces of the holes on both side walls.

The rear end 4A of the finger 4 is connected to the piezoelectric body 3 so as to be aligned with the rectangular piezoelectric body 3 (in the same direction).

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the rotating body 6 used in this embodiment.
Shown in the figure. As shown in FIG.
Is provided with a through-hole 60 large enough to allow the insertion of a through hole. The piezoelectric body 3 is inserted through the through hole 60 of the rotating body 6 and the piezoelectric body 3
Is held by the rotating body 6. Both ends of the rotating body 6 are screwed through holes formed in the fulcrum portion 5B on the way and rotatably mounted by the screws.

As shown in FIG. 8, the rotator 6 may have a shape in which a central portion thereof is cut off and both ends of the piezoelectric body 3 in the lateral direction are sandwiched. The piezoelectric body 3 is preferably fixed with an adhesive or the like in the through hole 60 of the rotating body 6, but may be simply held therebetween without fixing. In any case, the rotating body 6 rotates as shown in FIG. 8 described later.

The intermediate position of the front end portion 3B and the rear end portion 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 sandwiched by the rotating body 6 as described above is important, and the piezoelectric body 3 tends to bend with this point as a fulcrum. The speed of the finger 4 is increased, the amplitude is small, the torque is generated, and the applied voltage can be reduced. However, when the finger 4 is too close, the torque is not generated.

In other words, the opposite phenomenon occurs when the distance from the finger 4 increases, and the amplitude increases, but the torque decreases.

Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately select a position, and it is preferable that the position be appropriately selected.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the rear end support portion 5A of the piezoelectric body of the support 5
A rod 8 having a slit 80 as shown in FIG.

Before a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 2, the piezoelectric body 3 and the slit portion 80 of the rod 8 are parallel. However, when a voltage is applied, the piezoelectric body 3 performs a bending motion, and at this time, the rod 8 rotates. To move the piezoelectric body 3 downward or upward.

In this embodiment, as in the above embodiment, the spherical body 7 'is not attached to the front end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3, and the end of the rear end 4A of the finger 4 as shown in FIG. The portion protrudes vertically downward, and the tip 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 is held between the protruding portions.

As shown in FIG. 9, a stopper 9 may be provided in the rear end 4A of the finger 4 to control the rightward movement of the rear end 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 in the drawing. In the embodiment described above, a stopper may be similarly provided to prevent the rear end portion 3B of the piezoelectric body 3 from moving rightward in the figure.

The piezoelectric body 3 used in the present invention includes a plate 1 and a piezoelectric element (piezoelectric sheet) 2 attached to the plate 1.

In the piezoelectric body 3, cavities (spaces) (not shown) may be provided at both ends of the plate 1, and the piezoelectric elements 2, 2 'may be adhered to the cavities, respectively. That is, by providing the cavity portion in this manner, the weight of the plate 1 can be reduced.
The plate 1 is easily bent, and the plate 1 can be bent with a low voltage when applying a voltage (pulse) to the piezoelectric elements 2, 2 '.

The piezoelectric element 2 (2 ') can be attached to the plate 1 using an adhesive such as an epoxy adhesive.
When the piezoelectric element 2 is bonded to the plate 1 using the adhesive, the presence of the cavity allows reliable bonding. The cavity is preferably provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate 1, but may be provided on any one of the surfaces. However those who laminated piezoelectric element on both sides is more preferable because it can be _^1/2 the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element. Note that it is necessary to bond the two piezoelectric elements so that the positive and negative poles of the two piezoelectric elements are in the same direction.

As the piezoelectric element 2, any piezoelectric element can be used as long as it has an inverse piezoelectric effect.

However, in order to supply a large quantity of piezoelectric elements having industrially stable quality, it is preferable to use ceramic piezoelectric elements made of barium titanate or the like. The piezoelectric element 2 preferably has a thickness of 100 μm to 2
A plate having a thickness of about 00 μm is used and is formed to be elongated in the longitudinal direction of the plate 1. Although not shown, paste or the like is baked for electrodes on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 2, conductors are attached to the electrodes, and a controller for controlling electronic patterning is connected to the other end of these conductors. , A voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 2.

Since the response speed of the piezoelectric element 2 is quick, a high-cycle pulse can be applied.

 The plate 1 is made of, for example, metal.

The finger 4 is made of, for example, a metal like the plate 1.

The stopper 5D of the support 5 is provided with an opening 51 for projecting the pressing surfaces 40, 40 'at the tips of the fingers 4, and the opening 51 is used when the finger 4 moves up and down. It is configured in a size corresponding to the process.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a large number of vertical grooves 110 are formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical knitting cylinder 11 schematically shown, and each of the vertical grooves 110 has a jack 12 having a bat 120.
The knitting needle 13 is moved up and down so as to be slidably fitted, and each of the jacks 12 is selectively pushed by a finger 4 provided near the knitting cylinder 11 as shown in FIG. . In FIG. 5, reference numeral 14 denotes a lifting cam.

The knitting cylinder 11 rotates in both forward and reverse directions, as indicated by the arrow in FIG.

A pattern knitting circular knitting machine having a knitting cylinder rotating in both the forward and reverse directions is known and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-138753.
Reference description is omitted here.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, two piezoelectric bodies 3 each having a piezoelectric element 2 adhered to a plate 1 are prepared, and these are arranged at appropriate intervals so as to form a through hole therebetween. The upper and lower portions may be connected to each other by a connecting portion to form the piezoelectric body 3, and other changes may be made as appropriate.

Piezoelectric elements (plates) 2, arranged on both sides of the through hole 30,
2 ', as shown in FIG. 4, the lateral bending motion is performed separately.

In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, a single piezoelectric body 3 and a finger 4 are incorporated in a support body 5 to form a cartridge type, and the cartridge type The needle selection device is placed on a partition shelf of a housing having a partition shelf, an appropriate number of the needle selection devices are stored in the housing, and knitted fabric can be knitted. 5, the piezoelectric body 3 and the finger 4 may be incorporated in the housing as schematically shown in FIG.

The piezoelectric body 3 and the fingers 4 are accommodated in the housing H in multiple stages.

Upon operation of the needle selecting device, as described above, after being housed in the housing, a pulse is applied to each of the piezoelectric elements 2, 2 'from the controller electrically connected by the conductive wire as described above.

The controller is a device that stores a pattern knitting structure and applies a pulse to a plurality of piezoelectric elements based on the stored knitting procedure. Since such a device has a known structure, a detailed description is omitted.

Thus, based on the pulse applied from the controller, each plate 1 bends, and each finger 4 operates based on the knitting procedure of the controller.

According to the present invention, the pressing surface of the finger 4 against the bat
For example, the front end of the finger 4 is formed in a chevron shape so as to have two pressing surfaces 40, 40 'against the bat so that the surfaces 40, 40' can correspond to knitting cylinders rotating in both the forward and reverse directions. The jack fitted to the knitting cylinder rotating in the direction is selectively pushed, and the jack is selectively pushed similarly when the knitting cylinder rotates in the opposite direction on the other side. . Thereby, when the knitting cylinder rotates in both the forward and reverse directions, one needle selector can cope with the rotation in both the forward and reverse directions. And
The entire shape of the finger 4 is arrow-shaped, and the tip of the finger 4
The remaining portion 4A other than 4B is made as narrow as possible to reduce the weight of the finger so that the operation of the finger 4 can be accelerated.

Further, in the present invention, the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body is divided and disposed on both sides of the through hole via the through hole formed in the piezoelectric body. As described above, even if the pressing surface of the finger against the bat is configured to be compatible with the knitting cylinder rotating in both the forward and reverse directions, it is necessary to use the piezoelectric device to support the knitting cylinder rotating not only in one direction but also in the opposite direction. The piezoelectric element of the body is required to have a correspondingly high speed.

The larger the area of the piezoelectric element, the faster the operation speed of the finger can be increased. However, in the needle selecting device as in the above-described prior invention, the piezoelectric body does not hinder its bending motion and can rotate at a fulcrum on the way, so that the area of the piezoelectric body can be changed in both the forward and reverse directions. If it is spread out to fit the knitting cylinder that rotates, it will bend greatly in the horizontal direction.

Therefore, a through hole is formed in the center of the piezoelectric body, a through hole is formed in the piezoelectric body, and the piezoelectric body is divided and disposed on both sides of the through hole. As a result, a large bending in the lateral direction of the piezoelectric body is avoided, and the speed is increased because the piezoelectric bodies are arranged on both sides. Further, the through-hole reduces the weight of the piezoelectric body, and the speed can be increased from this aspect.

Furthermore, by making the needle selection device of the present invention the same configuration as the prior invention, the above-mentioned advantages can be utilized.

That is, according to the present invention, the front end portion 3B and the rear end portion 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 can be moved following the bending movement of the piezoelectric body 3 so that the bending movement of the piezoelectric body 3 is not hindered. In addition, the intermediate position between the front end portion 3B and the rear end portion 3A of the piezoelectric body 3 does not hinder the bending motion due to the rotation of the rotating body 6, and the intermediate position of the piezoelectric body 3 is controlled by the rotating body 6. So that it has a fulcrum on the way,
A needle selecting device with a much higher needle selecting speed than before can be obtained.

In addition, since the bending motion of the piezoelectric body 3 is not hindered, the life of the piezoelectric body 3 can be extended.

Further, according to the present invention, since the finger 4 is connected to the plate 1 of the piezoelectric body 3, the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 3 has a piezoelectric element as compared with the case where the end of the finger 4 is attached to the piezoelectric element 2. Since the load of the finger 4 was not applied to the body 3, the life of the piezoelectric element 2 of the piezoelectric body 3 could be prolonged from this point as well.

According to the present invention, since the rear end portion 4A of the finger 4 is fixed by the finger fixing portion 5C, the impact when the front end portion 4B of the finger 4 comes into contact with the bat is applied to the piezoelectric element 2. From this point, the life of the piezoelectric body 3 can be prolonged.

According to the present invention, the finger 4 is connected to the plate 1 of the piezoelectric body 3.
Is connected so as to be on the same straight line as the piezoelectric body 3, so that the width of the finger 4 in the T-shape is not required as compared with the case where the finger 4 is attached to the piezoelectric body 3, and the needle selecting device is not required. The size could be reduced.

Further, since the two-stage fingers 4 are connected on the same straight line as described above, it is possible to reduce the size of the needle selecting device in the vertical direction as compared with the conventional case where the two-stage finger 4 is attached to the piezoelectric element 2 in parallel. did it.

According to the present invention, even when the finger 4 is made shorter than before and the speed is increased by causing the mass of the finger to decrease, the bouncing phenomenon does not occur upon contact with the bat, and the needle selection is extremely excellent. It was evaluated as a device.

According to the present invention, since the torque of the finger 4 is increased, the applied voltage can be reduced, the needle selection operation can be performed with a small applied voltage, and the power consumption efficiency is extremely high.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. not.

[Effects of the Invention] The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

In the present invention, taking the above-described means, while utilizing the excellent advantages of the above-described press-type piezoelectric wire needle device according to the preceding invention, when the knitting cylinder rotates not only in one direction but also in both the forward and reverse directions. A piezoelectric needle selecting device that can be applied and that can be operated at high speed can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a needle selecting device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of a finger showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a piezoelectric body showing another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5, Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a spherical body used in the present invention, Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of a rotating body used in the present invention, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a needle selecting device showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a rod used in the present invention. One example perspective view,
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a needle selecting device of the prior invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Plate 2 ... Piezoelectric element 3 ... Piezoelectric body 4 ... Finger 40,40 '... Finger butt pressing surface 5 ... Support body 6 ... Rotating body 7,7' ... Spherical body 30 ... Through hole

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A knitting cylinder that rotates in both forward and reverse directions of a circular knitting machine by abutting a butt of a knitting needle of a circular knitting machine or a lower end of the knitting needle on a piezoelectric body having a piezoelectric element adhered to a plate. A finger for selectively pressing the bat of the needle selection jack arranged in the above is attached, and by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric body, the needle of the knitting needle is selectively pressed by the finger against the bat. A piezoelectric needle selecting device, wherein both a front end and a rear end of the piezoelectric body are movable, and a fulcrum is provided at an intermediate position between the front end and the rear end. In the needle selecting device, the pressing surface of the finger against the bat of the knitting needle or the needle selecting jack is set to two surfaces, and is configured to be compatible with the knitting cylinder rotating in both the forward and reverse directions of the circular knitting machine. Plate of A piezoelectric needle selection device for a circular knitting machine, characterized in that a through hole is formed in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body at a central portion, and piezoelectric elements of the piezoelectric body are provided on both sides of the through hole. .